The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-24
A REMARKABLE EDITOR
He is Both Blind and Deaf, and Yet
Works Vigorously and Successfully.
From the Lrtfco Obsey,er

He is Both Blind and Deaf, and Yet
Works Vigorously and Successfully.
From the Utica Observer
1t was early in the past summer that Will
liam f. Cramer celebrated the fortieth an
niversary of his editorship of the Erening
Wisconsin, of Milwaukee, of which news
paper he is also senior proprietor This ven
cradle man is the most remarkable as well
as the Oldest newspaper man in the West
He is totally blind, and as near totally deaf
as aay one can well be, and yet he is one
of the smarteSt, shrewdest, most in
dustrious, and best posted newspaper
men in the country He works as
hard, reads and writes as much, and keens
closer office hours, in all probability, than
any other newspaper man in the city. OF
course it is necessary for him TO dictate all
of his editorial work to an amanuensis who
also reads to him by the aid of an audi
phone, and in this way he manages to do as
much work as most nell who possess all of
their senses. For fully forty years the
blind editor has presided over the editorial
columns of his paper, furnishing from one
to several columns of matter every day dur
ing this long and eventful period.
The figure OF this cheerful, chatty blind
man is familiar to every man, woman or
child in his section. He daily takes walks
around the city, and strange as it may
seem, can find his way about as readily as
any one possessing full eyesight. He can
go alone to any particular spot or house in
the city without the least trouble OF late
he is generally accompanied by a small boy,
who walks by his side merely as a precau-
ton of safety and to please his family and
friends. guide is i'll no sense necessary
He trots along without the use of cane,
and stranger would never imagine that
his handsome gray eyes were sightleSs He
lost his sight many years ago by excessive
work in and out Of season. His deafness is
due to an accident that occurred when he
was a boy. He was coasting on New
England hill one cold day in his youth,
when his sled, plunged through
the ice and landed him in
frozen river. He was rescued more dead
than alive, and though finally resuscitated,
the experience cost him his sense of hearing.
He is 20 years of age, as hale and hearty as
many man of 35, has made a handsome
fortune, and is one of the solid men of the
Cream City. A half century ago Mr.
Cramer was New York journalist, mem
Der of that brilliant group that had for its
central figure the late Thurlow Weed, who
was warm friend and great admirer of
the young man who was then preparing to
invade the far Northwest to seek his for
tune. Horace Greeley, and Raymond, of
the old Times, were also intimates of Mr.
Cramer, and he tells many interesting anec-
dotes and "reminiscences of them and of
other of the old-tlme journalists who have
long since passed over to 1.-The silent city"
The range of this mans information is
something to be wondered at. He is a regu-
lar perambulating encyclopaedia, and he can
answer almost any question relating to the
political or other important events of the
past century at a moments notice The
memory of Uncle Billy, as nearly all Mil
waukeeans call him, is something marvel
lous. When fact is caught by the compli-
Gated machinery of his brain it is held
where the impalpable dust of ages cannot
reach it. His library is large and well Sc
lected. Among other rare things it is said to
contain every printed record of the proceed
ings of Congress. The contents of the
Congressional Record from volume l
to the last issue are at his tongues
end, and he can tell the date, page, or para
graph of an important event that has been
chronicled in this cheerful and breezy pub
lication since it : first started. His in
firmities have, anything. sharpened or
qnickened hiG tus lily bright intellect,
and he is to-day one of the very remarkable
journalists of this country. A blind and
deaf man at the head of big newspaper is
a journalistic novelty indeed. All the lead
ing papersof the country are Systematically
tary. The range of his information ex-
tends to the remotest corner of the tele-
graphic page of the latest issues of the me-
tropolitan dailies
Mr.. Cramer's career has not been without
thrilling and memorable incidents. He was
in Europe during the Franco-Prussian war
and was caught in Paris during its memoir
able siege. He lived on mule meat and suf-
fered many hardships until the capitulation
n that
the Inflated Newhall House, was erected in
this city about thirty years ago, Mr.. Cramer
was the first regular boarder. He continued
to live at this house until its destruction by
fire on that terrible morning of Jan. 10,
1884, when 100 people were roasted to death
by the catastrophe. Mr.. Cramer was one
of the last to leave the house, and he
escaped more dead than alive. His
apartments were entirely surrounded by
flames when he was aroused. With his
wife he attempted to find his way out
of the roaring furnace. Both were in their
night clothes, which were nearly burned off
of them The marble tiling in the halls
was so hot that the flesh was fairly roasted
on their feet as they passed over them.
They groped around until they were finally
rescued, both i'll a fainting condition, and
so horribly burned that it was feared for a
long time neither could recover. The great
building collapsed a moment after they
were out. After a long siege both recov-
cred, but their escape was next to miracu-
lous. BY this terrible fire the works of art,
fine private library, and the odds and
ends which had been collected during Mr..
Cramer's busy life were entirely destroyed,
together with many valuables of various
kinds, and all of Mrs. Cramer's valuable
diamonds.